Students’ Speak: Take MAT mock tests to avoid repeated mistakes

By: Bisharah Saeed

In this article, I am sharing some of the steps or initiatives that I took while I was preparing for my Management Aptitude Test (MAT) exam. Regarding the number of mock tests, I admit that I haven’t taken that many because I am not a person who has that much interest in taking mock tests, repeatedly.

This might not be the case for everyone as different people have different ways of practicing when it comes to exams. If you have plans on taking mock tests, I would advise you to take tests periodically, rather than all together at once because it can put pressure on your mind. Taking them periodically helps you to prepare for it well in advance and also helps you to find out what went wrong in your previous mock tests and the most important thing in a mock test is to avoid repeating the mistakes that you made in your previous test. Again, I am just sharing my personal experience. If you feel that taking the tests altogether helps you better, you are welcome to try.

Regarding the number of questions that need to be attempted in the exam, I would strictly advise you to refrain from answering all the questions as this can severely affect your scores and rank. MAT exam has 200 questions to answer and most importantly, there is negative marking for wrong answers (you lose 0.25 for wrong answers and gain 1 mark for right answers). This means that when you gain one mark and enter a wrong answer, your total marks is 0.75. (1-0.25). On the other hand, you have one mark in your hand, and if you skip a question rather than opting for a wrong answer, you will still have one mark in the end. This is why it is important to make sure that you answer all the questions that you are sure of and not take any chances with the unsure ones. It is about the right number of answers you have in the end and not the number of questions that you answered.

Always make sure that you fill-up the marksheet, whether online or offline properly as one small mistake can cause your result to be withheld. Regarding the answering of questions, remember that you have a time limit. So, do not spend too much time on one single question that you are unsure of to answer. When you waste time like that, you are wasting time on questions that you might be able to answer in a flash. So, answer all the questions that you are capable of answering quickly and then come back to the questions that require some time for solving.

Maximising the score, in my opinion, is dependent on the number of questions that you answer correctly. Nothing else determines that. But in order to achieve that, you need to manage your time efficiently. That’s where mock tests will help you.

About the Author:

Bisharah Saeed is a second-year Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) student at Rajagiri Business School. He has a Bachelor's degree in Automobile Engineering. Bisharah has over 10 months of work experience at Amazon.